'Armed and dangerous' fugitive still at large in North Bay despite many sightings

Fugitive Marc Gauthier facing more charges The focus of a North Bay manhunt last month Marc Gauthier was arrest in Quebec & is now facing charges related to a bank robbery.

North Bay police are urging the public to continue to be on the lookout and go about the day with caution as the manhunt for an 'armed and dangerous' convict continues.

Marc Gauthier, 54, is wanted for dozens of violent crimes and is on the run from police after fleeing into a North Bay creek Monday afternoon during a traffic stop. Despite an extensive search, he has not yet been found.

"Members of the public continue to assist in this search by calling in potential sightings of Gauthier to police. We thank those members of the public for their vigilance," North Bay police spokesperson David Woolley told CTV News Thursday in an email.

"While we have received a good number of potential sightings over the last few days, at this time, none of the reported sightings have resulted in the location of Gauthier."

The wanted man was granted statutory release in March after serving the required two-thirds of his more than 41-year sentence.

He disappeared from a Barrie halfway house July 1 and is accused of robbing a bank in Alliston with an apparent gun July 4.

WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

"I'm sure he has no interest in going back to prison. That being said, there is no information he is still in our area and he's not committing random acts of violence to members of the community," Insp. Jeff Warner of North Bay Police Service said in a news conference on Tuesday.

"There is no information to suggest that he left North Bay … Our information suggests that he does not have access to a vehicle that we know of."

Warner said there is a potential risk to public safety while Gauthier remains at large given his previous crimes.

Gauthier is known to frequent the Barrie, Parry Sound and northwestern Quebec areas and is said to have no known ties to North Bay.

WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE

The suspect is described as a bald, white man who may be clean-shaven, is 5-foot-8 inches tall, approximately 160 pounds with brown eyes and several tattoos -- including a tombstone, a snake and skull on his right arm and a heart on his left arm.

Residents should be aware of their surroundings at all times and keep vehicles and doors locked, police said.

Should Gauthier be seen, call 911 and do not approach him.

Anyone with information that could help find him should call police at 705-497-5555 and press 9 to speak to an officer.

Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 where helpful information could be worth money.